by blogediter | Apr 9, 2018 | Chimney Plugs, Fireplaces
Q: Dear Jason, Attached is a picture of a very large fireplace in our 260 year old home. You will also see another picture of the flue are of this fireplace at eye level when I am standing in the fireplace. As you can see this is a very large fireplace (10 feet across) and it has no damper at all. I am afraid to think how much heat is wasted up the flue in the winter since it is also a very drafty fireplace. How big do you make your custom size Chimney Balloons? The measurement of the area in the flue just above the pot-holding bar in the second picture is about 23″x92″. How much does a Chimney Balloon of that size cost, and when can I get it? – CW
A: Dear CW, This is certainly one of the largest fireplaces we have sized for a Chimney Balloon, and fortunately we do make a 23×93 Chimney Balloon. That is pretty close to our maximum size (the largest we can make them is 96″x40″).
A 23×93 Chimney Balloon is not inexpensive since it is of triple construction, it cost $243. However, the cost of this Chimney Balloon will pail in comparison to the cost of the heat that is pouring our of this fireplace flue. I find it remarkable that this fireplace does not have any type of damper on it at all. That is essentially like having a full size door wide open all the time. Considering you live in New England you should recoup the cost of the Chimney Balloon in saved heat in a matter of a few months.
A custom of this size will take about 14 days to build and another few days to get to your door. I will see what I can do to speed the process up for you. You will notice an extreme difference when you install it. – Jason
by blogediter | Apr 6, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Hi Jason, my fireplace is a sort of rectangular shape (more like a trapezoid) measuring 26 x 14. It goes straight up at those dimensions, then changes to slanted pieces of sheet metal up to the damper that is a circular opening 8″ in diameter. I’ve attached my attempt at a drawing. I’m not really sure what size Chimney Balloon I need. Can you advise, please? – CC
A: Dear CC, The diagram helps quite a bit. Thank you for sending that. In this particular case, I would install the Chimney Balloon just above the damper. A 9×9 Chimney Balloon with an HEK extender attached will give you the length of handle you will need to get it installed in the proper place. I would assume from your circular flue that you have either a butterfly damper (one that picots in the middle) or a drop-down damper (hinged on one side and it drops down like a trap door). The 9×9 and HEK combination will work well with either configuration. – Jason
by blogediter | Apr 4, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
The Chimney Balloon will stop drafts in your chimney when you’re not using your fireplace.
All you have to do is tuck it up into the flue when it’s deflated and you can inflate it by mouth or use an air mattress inflator. This is going to expand and insulate your flue.
It’s very easy to use when it comes to a variety of sizes and to deflate it. All you have to do is turn the valve.
I’ll put some more information underneath the video.
by blogediter | Apr 4, 2018 | Save Energy
Fireplace damper testing graph
Chimney Balloon USA had a certified energy rater test to see what sealed a home tighter… a metal damper, fireplace glass doors, or a Chimney Balloon.
Who: A third party Focus on Energy certified energy rater (Mark Furst with Grading Spaces Inc) did a blower door testing sequence on a ranch home of 1200 square ft. Mark is certified with Focus on Energy and also with Resnet.
What: The test home was a 1200 square foot ranch style home with a basement. It had one zero clearance fireplace with a 9″ flue and a flapper style metal damper. The fireplace also had a set of tempered glass bifold doors. The home had R-50 cellulose insulation in the attic, R19 fiberglass insulation in the walls. Eight R2 windows and three steel and solid wood exterior doors.
When: The test was performed in Wisconsin in August of 2008.
Why: To see if the Chimney Balloon was better at stopping cold air infiltration than fireplace glass doors or metal Chimney dampers. The test was run on a very small zero clearance fireplace with the minimum size chimney vent of 9″ tube. This chimney and damper is the smallest flue and damper possible for a conventional fireplace. Therefore the savings represent the lowest levels of energy savings you can expect.
According to the results, the Chimney Balloon helped the home save 27% more heat than if the damper was open and the glass doors were open.
The Chimney Balloon saved 15% more heat than the metal damper alone.
The Chimney Balloon saved 6% more heat than the glass doors alone and even worked better than the damper and glass doors combined.
Here is a link to the complete report from the energy rater after he conducted the testing.
http://www.chimneyballoon.us/f/GradingSpaceschimneyballoonreport.pdf
by blogediter | Apr 2, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Badbrick
Q: Jason, I purchased a chimney balloon last July. It got smashed by a falling brick that fell inside our fireplace chimney down to the fire box (a 2 story fall), so I need to purchase another one. It worked great until last night when a shower of brick, mortar, feathers, and leaves fell into our bedroom fireplace- yuck! Can you tell me what size I purchased last time? – CS
A: Dear CS, Last time you purchased a 12×12 Chimney Balloon. You may want to have the structural integrity of your chimney looked at if the spalling bricks are falling down inside your chimney.
If one brick falls then there could be more on the verge of falling. A good chimney sweep can tell you what your looking at for issues with this fireplace chimney. You don’t want to have a chimney that is in the habit of throwing bricks off on the inside or outside. Worst possible case scenario would be a chimney collapse, so this is nothing to mess with. I would have it checked out soon. – Jason
